Stella Cherry Tree
xN
Posts: 9
I've had a grafted dwarf Stella Cherry tree that I planted in the ground when I was just a kid. It's been about 15 years now. The canopy really branched out and the neighbours complained about it (branched over into their garden & pathway) so I had no choice but to have it pruned 3 years ago. It was pruned by a man recommended by my local garden centre.
It's always produced an abundance of cherries, but since it was pruned it's been pitiful. It's also developed a few issues such as, leaf curl back caused by black fly, leaf miner and it bleeds a small amount of sap in summer from its trunk. It's also started to send out basal shoots quite far from the trunk. The cherries attemp to grow but just don't seem to fully grow out if that makes sense? It's really sad to see a once glorious cherry tree turn into a fruitless one with multiple problems 
Is there any advice for what I can do for it?
Posts
Hello,
It may depend on when it was pruned. The consensus states it should only be done in the growing season as this will allow it to fight off any infection.
Fruit trees per-se tend to take more than one season to respond particularly if you have done a hard prune which sounds like this did happen. I am two years into dealing with a heavily congested apple tree and it is no where near what it used to provide but I am expecting that. This year will be its third season so I will be watching to see how it performs.
I have also hard pruned a young cherry as it was completely on the wrong place and currently its in sick bay (took it out and placed it in a large pot) and will probably be there for another year. I am not expecting anything from it for another 2 years at least.
Getting back to yours, look at the tree on a fortnightly basis from beginning of March as you will be able to spot things rather than waiting for a month to go by. If any type of infection occurs then you can deal with it. There's lots of stuff on main RHS site.
Mulch round the base though take care not to overdo this especially round the trunk. Feed it with root food now. When leaves start growing add relevant fertilizer and again when flowers form add relevant fertilizer. Take out the basal shoots but again, do this in the main growing season.
Paul
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=318 talks about when to prune - mid-summer.
Hello Paul,
Thank you for your reply. Yes that's correct, it was a hard prune. Although the trunk is only about 4 feet high, the branches reached the top window of my house and was nearly 500cm horizontally. He pruned it in spring and he did say it would take some time to recover, however, every year it seems to be getting worse.
I will take your advice and keep a closer eye on it this year starting from March as you said. Last year was the most disease/pest prone its ever been and I really do not want that again. Ah, yes, fertilising... Its actually never been fed since I put it in the ground with manure... I just leave its dead leaves on the soil. So i'll fertilise it this year...
Thank you again!
This is not a stella cherry tree but an old one, not sure of the variety and it does not develop any viable fruit despite the blossom but it is looking spectacular this spring - the bumblebees are going nuts over it!